OP Second Chances
by Nijikawa Satori
Summary: Usopp didn't make it in time. When he arrived at Water 7's shipyard, they weren't there, they had already left. About a week and a half later, he meets Ace who is still in search of the man named Blackbeard. Features the Marineford War, Ace/Usopp nakamaship, Alive!Ace, Yasopp, and a reunion at the very end. Fast-Paced one-shot.


**When ideas come to you and you just can't help but write them. I wrote this in one sitting and man it took me a long time.**

 **Notes:** Part 1: Water 7. Part 2: Marineford. Part 3: Red Force (Shanks' boat). Part 4: Sabaody Archipelago. **Alive!Ace.** Nakamaship Usopp/Ace. A little Fathership Yasopp/Usopp. Reunion at the very end. **Fast-paced.**

* * *

 _ **PART 1**_

I didn't make it. When I arrived at the shipyard, they weren't there, they had already left. My knees gave in and I fell to the ground. I stared at the bright yellow dot that was most likely their new ship. I meant to call out to them and say sorry but I was too late. Couldn't they have at least waited for at least a few minutes before setting off? I could've had the chance to say sorry and hopefully go back to the ship with them. But no, my chance was long gone now. I can't be a part of their crew anymore.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I balled my hands into fists in frustration. Has my adventure ended? I can't really blame anyone but myself. I knew that Merry couldn't be repaired. I knew that and yet I was so stubborn to even challenge Luffy to a fight. And just when I had thought I could finally go back to them right after the Enies Lobby incident, it was still so hard to go back to the crew after what I had done. Will they come back for me? What if they don't? What am I supposed to do now?

This is so embarrassing. I'm so sorry Kaya. I'm sorry Carrot, Onion, and Pepper. I just burnt my own bridge. My dream to become a brave warrior was now over. It's all over.

It's my fault that it ended like this. I'll sure miss all of those times we had together, because I know I'll never experience that feeling of belonging like it did with the Straw Hat Pirates ever again.

* * *

One morning about a week and a half later, I was simply sitting at the bar at Blueno's Bar. Now with the owner gone, the one who served me was a person part of the Franky Family. Thankfully he wasn't that smart enough to recognize me as Sogeking. I took a sip from the beer in my hand. From behind, the bat-winged doors opened and I felt everyone in the room shut up. I turned around and there I saw a very familiar face.

"Ace?" I said. He looked at me and gave a grin. Ace walked towards the bar and took a seat beside me. I could feel everyone staring at us.

"Hey, long time no see. You're Luffy's sniper right? Um.. Pinocchio! No that's not right. Uzo? Usa? Usagi?" Ace then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, smiling apologetically. "Um… Sorry I seemed to have forgotten your name."

I winced a little bit. Luffy's sniper. Yeah right, not anymore I'm not. I then jerked a thumb towards myself, "Usopp."

"Right. Oh, just give me what you can with this." He told the bartender and dropped a few belis. The bartender took it and started preparing.

"So, where's Luffy and the rest of you guys?" Ace asked expectantly. My shoulders drooped and I started to sweat profusely. I was afraid to disappoint him. After all, he asked each and every one of us to take care of Luffy and I did just the opposite of that. Should I tell him? I looked at him and I could tell that he noticed my sudden nervousness. Who am I kidding? This was the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.

I gave in and looked at the beer in my hand solemnly, "They already left."

I gulped in at the silence that followed afterwards. Ace then narrowed his eyes at me, "… And what are _you_ still doing here?"

"I… left the crew." I whispered but I knew that he heard me well. The bartender placed Ace's food in front of him. Ace gave him a small smile in thanks before turning to me with a questionable look.

And then I told him. Everything about the Going Merry, the Franky Family, the duel, a little bit about Enies Lobby, and until my moment at the shipyard, I told Ace. I raised the beer to my lips but then I frowned when I found out that I had already finished it all. "I'm really sorry Ace."

I turned to Ace only to see his face buried in his food. "Ace? Ace!"

Is he dead? No that can't be, but he isn't moving! Then after a few shakes, his head snapped up and looked around in confusion.

"Oh, I slept again."

"You slept?!" I cried. It was kinda funny but then Ace punched me. Hard. My back hit several tables and chairs before slamming into the wall. I winced at the pain and looked up at Ace in fear. His face was blank. There was no hint of hatred, or extreme anger.

"No hard feelings. 'Kay?" I stared at him. Ace went back to his seat and began eating once more. I understood him completely. The punch wasn't for Luffy. But it was for my idiocy and he knew that I had already embraced that fact. I stood up and walked over to my seat once again. I sat straight since my back still hurt.

"Geez Ace, you sure can knock a good punch." I said rubbing my back. Ace laughed loudly.

"Seriously? That wasn't even 25% of my power yet." I paled and he laughed louder.

"W-well…" I stuttered. "What brings you here to Water 7?"

Ace gulped down the food that he was eating, "Well remember that I was looking for someone back in Alabasta? I heard that he was seen here in Water 7. Actually, I just heard that he's on the next island, Banaro. So I'm not staying for long."

"Oh, Blackbeard right?" I said. Ace nodded. Somehow, I had a really bad feeling about this. No it wasn't that I doubted Ace. I've heard so many stories from Luffy about Ace. Not to mention, he was the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates which was the strongest pirate crew yet. I remembered Ace saying that this Blackbeard guy killed a fellow crewmate for a Devil Fruit. It scared me to bits the first time I heard it. Ace was strong but there was something wrong.

"Don't go after him." The words left my mouth before I knew it.

"Pops," I guessed he meant Whitebeard, "he said the same thing and did I listen? No, so what makes you think you can convince me to stop pursuing that traitor? He killed a dear friend of mine." Ace said.

My eyebrows furrowed and I frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know… I just have this bad feeling. I mean, I always have bad feelings about things but this time it's really serious. It's not going to go well Ace."

Ace put down his fork and pushed the plate forward for the bartender to take. My eyes followed him as he stood up and walked towards the bat-winged doors. Ace turned and gestured me to follow him. So I did. We talked the rest of that day while Ace restocked his supplies. I often tried to convince him to not to go after him but he was just as stubborn as Luffy. Otherwise I told him about my great adventures as the Great Captain Usopp. I smiled inwardly as I told my stories. It was obvious that he didn't believe me but he kept listening anyways.

"… And that was how I beat the largest tiger in the forest. Can you believe it? With a single pipe?" I puffed out my chest in pride. Ace laughed with what sounded like nostalgia. I was too proud of my stories to even think about it though.

"Yeah, tigers are really weak against pipes." He commented. It lacked the sarcasm that it usually had in his earlier comments but I shrugged it off. I raised my head and there I saw the same boat he used when we were in Alabasta.

"Well, I want to catch up to Blackbeard as soon as I can. I have to get going." Ace tilted his hat upwards and gave me a bow. I nodded at him. We waved at each other as he started up his ship and sailed away. I stayed there watching the red dot disappear on the horizon. For some reason, my heart felt a little lighter now that I got to talk with him. I remember that the first time I met Ace, I highly doubted that he and Luffy were brothers but after a whole morning with him, I could definitely see the resemblance between them. Both of us hit it off just like with Luffy and I. Sadly enough, it didn't end well between us.

I smiled solemnly before immediately frowning. The pit in my stomach wouldn't leave.

* * *

"Hey, Nose-bro," said the bartender, who I now know as Joey. I looked up at him questioningly.

"You should see this." He slid a newspaper in front of me before he left. I took the papers and leaned on the bar.

"' _Fire Fist' Ace is captured to be publicly executed at Marineford!"_

I spit out my drink. What?! Ace, _that_ Ace was captured? No, that was impossible. I continued to read the rest of the article.

"Days after the Banaro Incident, Blackbeard, captain of the Blackbeard pirates handed over Fire Fist to the Marines resulting in him becoming part of the Shichibukai." I read. Damnit! I was right! It's been days since we last seen each other and he already got himself captured. Ace is going to be publicly executed, what are the Marines thinking? Everyone knows that this is basically waging war against the strongest pirate crew in the world. Are they stupid?

What else, I'm sure that Luffy isn't just going to sit by and watch. He's gone to Enies Lobby and waged war on the World Government for a single friend, who's to say that he won't charge into the Marine's main base for a brother? But this is going to be way worse. Luffy actually could die. Damnit… who am I kidding? I can't just sit tight here either! But what can I do? I'm just a coward and a weakling. I'm lucky to survive 10 minutes at Marineford. No, both of them were my friends and if I were to lose either one of them, it would not end well with me and the other.

My mind blanked for a second before I stood up.

… Fine.

"Hey, Joey, do you know where Paulie is?"

* * *

 ** _PART 2_**

The Marine's main base was nigh and I could hear the sounds of war clearly. Not only that, I could also hear Luffy's shouting Ace's name. Do I have a plan in mind you ask? Haha, heck no. My heart was beating faster than a Sea Train's engine. I trembled. Of course, I trembled in excitement. No, I'm not trembling out of fear at all. No, fear isn't a word in my dictionary. What is fear?

My small but sturdy boat (credits to the Galley-La Company), hit the edge of a gigantic, humongous area of ice… As far as I can remember, Marineford wasn't close to any winter islands. One name entered my mind: Aokiji. Dang… He was an admiral right? And from what I heard that there were 2 other admirals. Can I really just jump into the fray and expect to leave with unbroken bones and much less my life? Oh I know the answer to that thank you very much. No, I'm already here. I don't plan on saving Ace myself. Luffy's already doing that but I can at least aid him in any way I can.

This is going to be like Enies Lobby all over again. I'm still ashamed to show my face. I remember that Sogeking had a bounty so I can't use him either. Well, I lost the mask on my way here so it doesn't make a difference. The only thing that could cover me was the cloak I had. That was enough for me. I stood up, my knees wobbling beneath me.

No, legs, stay still. I had to sigh out a relief that no one had noticed me. And I plan to stay that way. I stared up at the tall wall. From the top, I could be a little bit safer and I would have an advantage with my ammo. I lifted my hood and ducked. Now, how do I get up there?

* * *

Luffy saw Ace's Vivre Card fall in front of him. He could see that it was way smaller than he last looked at it in Impel Down. On the edges, the paper burned to ashes. He reached out towards the piece of paper. Admiral Akainu saw this chance to finally attack with a magma punch, knowing fully that Ace would cover for him. It was a lowly action but Akainu couldn't care less.

"Luffy!" cried out Ace. He jumped in front of him expecting the punch to go through his chest.

" _Hissatsu, Fire Bird Star!"_ Instead, from the corner of his eye he saw a bird made of fire, (It was obviously not Marco) go in between him and Akainu. Its fiery feathers simply passed through his torso while its other wing burned into nothing as it came in contact with Akainu's magma body. The sudden attack caused Akainu to instead hit his shoulder. Ace winced at the pain and fell forward into his brother's arms.

"Ace!"

"Don't worry. I'm fine…"

Akainu growled in anger and turned to the source of fire bird. Up on the giant walls of Marineford, there stood a person in a cloak covering both his body and face. The whole battlefield was silent staring up at the mysterious man. That man had just prevented Ace's death. Everyone waited for his next move.

"GO!" A familiar voice shouted. Ace's eyes lifted up. The man seemed to grin weakly and threw a fist in the air at him. A nose stuck out and one look at that, Ace grinned in return. He stood up. Luffy, who was still focused on Ace tried to support him as much as he could.

"Let's get out of here, Luffy."

Akainu looked at the man in annoyance. He dared to delay his execution. Immediately, he shot up and flew towards the man at an amazing speed. The man shrieked and ran towards the opposite way. The admiral threw balls of magma and the man continued to shriek as he evaded each and every one. Well, except one of them. Luckily for him, it was one of the weaker balls. The man slipped and the magma hit him on the back.

"ARGH!" He cried and fell down. Akainu smirked as he stalked towards the unassuming man that is, until a blue fire bird intercepted him. (Seriously what is with him and fire birds?)

Akainu growled once more when Marco, the Phoenix had pushed the man off the wall towards his crewmates down below. The man screamed on the way down and he saw that he had fainted once he was caught in the arms of the Whitebeard pirates.

"This is as far as you can go, Admiral." Marco said.

* * *

Once they were out of danger's reach, Luffy fainted from exhaustion. Thankfully Ace was already there to catch him. He carried him over his shoulder and Ace smiled softly. A shriek caught his attention as he looked up at the wall where the man, no, Usopp had been. His eyes widened when he saw a ball of magma hitting him on the back. Ace tried his best not to head into the face of danger again. This time, he was actually carrying Luffy and he couldn't bear to sacrifice his own brother. Thankfully though, Marco was up there before Akainu could reach him.

If Ace didn't know Marco any better, he would've thought that Marco was a heartless man for kicking Usopp off the wall but he knew and trusted him enough to know that Marco actually brought him to safety.

"Thank you." He whispered.

* * *

 ** _PART 3_**

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see not the blind white light of heaven but instead, the wooden planks of a ceiling. Where am I? My head throbbed as I tried to recall the events from before. Water 7, execution, scary Admiral made of magma, and falling off a thousand foot wall. Oh right, there was the war. Was Ace and Luffy able to get out safely? I hope they were able to. I tried to distract the Admiral as much as I could but I just blacked out after I fell. Darn that Phoenix guy, kicking me off suddenly like that.

I struggled to sit up from the bed and looked around. I could tell that this was an infirmary and a rather large one in fact. Yet, I seemed to be the only one in the room. I leaned my back against the headboard but once my back came in contact with it, it started to sting painfully.

"Ow…" And at that moment, the door opened.

"Oh? I see you're awake huh." A red-haired man entered. I wasn't stupid. I knew that the man standing beside my bed was freaking Red Haired Shanks. What's he doing here? Or is it, what am I doing here?! I felt very overwhelmed by his presence that I could only muster a nod.

He laughed, "No need to feel so intimidated with me Usopp. I can assure you that I won't hurt you."

I blinked a few times, how did he know my name?

"Besides, why would I hit family?" He added. Family? What on the Blue Seas is he talking about? It's not like he's my da… My dad… Right.

"I have someone who really wants to meet you." Shanks grinned and called the man to come in. No, no, no wait! The words wouldn't come out. I'm not ready yet! I still haven't become a brave man. I'm not worthy to face my father yet! While I was too engrossed in my thoughts, Shanks went towards the door and looked to the side and laughed.

"Yasopp? Come on, don't be shy, it's your brat, the one you always talk about!" Shanks pulled an arm and threw the man into the room.

Shanks slammed the door closed and I could hear his muffled voice say, _"Have a nice talk with your kid!"_ I started to sweat in the presence of my dad but I could also see that my dad wasn't better off. Both of us just stared, scanning each other's features as if making sure that the other is who the one thinks he is. I don't remember much of my dad but I knew that this man standing in front of me was my real dad. I awkwardly smiled at him.

"Hi, d-dad." Apparently that was enough for him to hug me tight much to my excruciating pain. Not that I cared anyway as I returned the hug tighter than his. I buried my face onto his shoulder and cried.

* * *

"Ace!" I waved at the half naked man who was standing on the decks of the Red Force. It's been a while since the war and my back was slowly healing although it did leave an X-shaped scar on it. It looked cool though. Ace looked around and when he saw me, he brightened up.

"Hey, Usopp, I'm glad to see you well and up." He said.

"Well, _I'm_ glad to see you alive. So, how you've been?" I asked him. I looked around checking if Luffy was around. I don't think I'll be able to see him at this state yet. Deciding to look over the railing, I could see Ace's boat, the Striker, beside the ship.

"I've been looking for you actually." I turned to him and raised an eyebrow, "Do you know what Luffy did recently? No? Oh, well, he went back to Marineford and rang the Ox Bell. Anyways, that's not really important. He did that to get himself on the newspaper. Luffy used the newspaper to send out a secret message to the rest of crew. He had apparently made a promise to them to meet on Sabaody Archipelago in 3 days but instead, they're meeting there in 2 years to train and get stronger for the New World."

I blinked, "And you're telling me this, why?"

Ace sighed. "Look, whether you realize it or not, I know that you still want to be a Straw Hat Pirate. But both of us know that you think you're not good enough for them which is BS. Usopp, it's never too late to make it up to them. And so if you still insist that you're too weak and all that, then get stronger with them."

"Bu-"

"Usopp." He interrupted, "Do you want to get stronger?"

I nodded, "If you had a chance to say sorry to them would you? And would you mean it?"

My mouth hung open a little, what kind of question was that? Of course I would! "Yeah, wha-"

"Do you still want to be a part of the Straw Hat Pirates?" He interrupted once more. I do. But I still had my doubts. I mean, what if history was to repeat like last time? Like me doing something very stupid, I'm sure Luffy wouldn't forgive a second time. (Assuming that he does forgive me for the first time.) ... No, I have a second chance so that I won't repeat the same mistakes. They were the second family that I had, the first being the people back in Syrup Village. The crew gave me a sense of belonging even though I was weak, cowardly and a liar. They accepted me despite all of that. I had fun adventures with them. So, do I want to be a Straw Hat Pirate?

I nodded and Ace smirked at the determination on my face. "Good, then it's settled, I'll be the one to take you to Sabaody. I'll come find you on this ship and we'll go to the Archipelago together."

"Alright… "

"So, that's all I had to do here. I have to get going. I'm helping Luffy train and he's sure to freak if I'm away for too long." I laughed at that. After the war and Ace's almost death, Luffy was bound to become a little bit overprotective. Not that he wasn't already overprotective of his family. Ace jumped down the side of the ship and onto his boat. He looked up at me and grinned.

"Thank you for saving me and actually all of us Usopp." I smiled in return with a red hue tinting my cheeks. He waved goodbye and I waved back. I stared at the red dot on the horizon as I watched him leave. Now… What did I just get myself into? Training? Where am I going to get that training? Ah, maybe I could do some work-outs like Zoro or the stretches like Sanji. Hmm… Nah, I can't carry heavy stuff nor am I flexible as Sanji. How am I going to do this?

And as if reading my mind, dad came around the corner and smiled at me with a gun in hand, "If it's training you need. Then it's training you get. Get your weapon of choice, we're starting with speed training."

I brightened up. Of course! I'm surrounded by many amazing people on board the Red Force I could ask them for help. Wait, does that mean I'm going to be here for 2 years? On one of the Yonko's ships?! Oh wow!

"Usopp, hurry up!" Dad called out. I replied back and went to get my stuff from the bed.

Little did I know that my first training session involved trying to shoot the captain with his super speed.

* * *

 ** _PART 4 (2 Years Later)_**

"Yosh! Everyone!" Luffy shouted, gathering everyone's attention. "I'm sure we all have a bunch of stories to tell but anyways, for going along with my selfish decision these past 2 years, thank you!"

All of them smiled softly at him. Sanji blew out a smoke and chuckled, "This isn't the first time."

"Spread the sail!" Luffy commanded. Brook and Zoro held the ropes and was about to jump off to let it spread until a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"WAIT!" They turned towards the land and there they saw Ace running towards them.

"Ace!" They exclaimed joyfully. Ace breathed a sigh of relief as he jumped onto the ship. Thank goodness, he wasn't too late.

"You're forgetting someone." Ace said with a smirk. As expected they all misunderstood him and started shouting out cheers for Ace finally joining them. The fire user chuckled but shook his head at them.

"It's not me. It's…" He turned back towards the land and smirked when he saw his friend running towards the ship. "…him."

" _MINNA!"_

* * *

Am I going to make it? No, I can't let myself doubt right now. I will make it! When I arrive at Grove 42, they will be there. Dang, why didn't Ace find out where they were docked? We've been going from grove to grove and finally, once Ace spotted the ship, he just had to leave me behind. I'm not as fast as you Ace! Hah, not that he'll ever listen to me anyways. Wait are they already going? No, I have to get there fast.

" _MINNA!"_ I cried with my loudest voice. All of the people on board turned to me. For a second, my breath got caught up in my throat. They all look so different. Has it really been this long since I last saw them? And what the heck is that walking skeleton?!

I skidded to a stop and panted. They were all looking at me with wide eyes, heck even Zoro was caught off guard. Nami had her hands over her mouth and I could hear her whisper my name. The skeleton looked back and forth from me to the crew, probably confused. I can't really tell from his face. Chopper was crying, jumping up and down on the deck. Sanji's mouth hung open letting his cancer stick fall to the ground. I looked at each and every one of them before I rested my eyes on Luffy. His face was just as surprised as everyone else's.

My hands balled into fists, my arms trembled, and my lips quivered. I shut my eyes tight to prevent most of my tears away. I've been away for so long. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't want me anymore but I have to say this at least. I threw myself down and slammed my forehead onto the ground.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY FOR MY STUBBORNNESS 2 YEARS AGO!" Oh screw it, I started crying. "I WAS WRONG!... Even though I said I was leaving the crew… I WANT TO CHANGE ALL OF THAT BUT I CAN'T!"

"Usopp…"

My body drooped, "Please…" I begged quietly. "Please take me with you… Just at least one more time, let me be your nakama… I know I'm 2 years overdue. Bu-but… I've gotten stronger an-and…"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Luffy's outstretched hand. "Luffy…"

"YOU IDIOT! HURRY UP AND GRAB ON!" He cried out.

I smiled as I took the hand. I didn't care for the pain that came when I crashed onto the deck. Everyone was laughing, I was laughing, and they were crying so was I. I was accepted back into the crew and that was enough for me.

* * *

 ** _EPILOGUE_**

They were all eating in the galley and Usopp couldn't help but steal glances at the mysterious musician. He often remembered Luffy saying that he wanted a musician but a skeleton for a musician was completely unheard of! Well, he was fun and all but still, scary.

"Usopp… What happened to your back?" Luffy pointed out. Usopp took a peek on his back and turned to look at him. The sniper smiled.

"Nothing. Nothing happened." Zoro raised an eyebrow before smiling slightly. He remembered Ace staring at his back regretfully and saying a quiet mumble just before he left the ship.

 _"If it wasn't for him. I wouldn't be alive."_

 **END!**

 **So, how did you like it? I love it! I know that this should have more details and stuff but remember this is a fast paced one-shot. REVIEW PLEASE!**


End file.
